Chains tied to the floor of a vehicle for use in driving conveyer belts or for retaining cargo in place are used extensively in the prior art. Such a system which drives conveyor belts is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,060 issued on Oct. 14, 1997 to Van Leerde. The prior art tie downs for securing chains to the floor of a vehicle are often difficult to remove, particularly when they become corroded when there are adverse environmental conditions. This is obviously highly undesirable. The device of the present invention overcomes these shortcomings by providing a tie down which is not secured to the vehicle floor but rather mounted thereon so that when there is tension on a chain attached thereto, the attachment is firm and secure, yet such tie down can readily be released even when corroded.